Practical writing tips for young authors

The Book-Room Challenge

So several of my friends from the Christian Teens Together! thread on the NaNoWriMo website have done a challenge called the Book-Room Challenge in which they describe three of their books as rooms, and I’ve just been nominated by Leila of Inspiring Ink’lings. Thanks, Leila!

Rules:

Describe three of your books as rooms. They can be finished or unfinished, but they must be your own.

Write one of your favorite books to read as a room.

Tag five other people. (This one’s going to be tricky for me.)

The Lowlines

You open a dark walnut door and step into a dimly lit room. Daggers and swords lay on a low oak table that is surrounded by three mismatched chairs, one tipped, one with a broken leg, and only one standing completely upright. There is one window in the very back of the room, but curtains cover it, the rod broken and crooked, and a thick layer of dust blankets the glass.

The floor is cracked hardwood that creaks and groans with every step, and the walls are covered with torn wallpaper that someone tried to hide with black paint. On the right wall is a bulletin board covered with faded, torn papers and photos, and on the left is a gun rack, which is now abandoned save for one pistol.

You dodge a piece of falling plaster and glance up at the crumbling ceiling and step over to the window, glancing out. The only things you can see are dead grass, a twisted oak tree, and a plank swing, one rope snapped to leave the swing dangling awkwardly.

The Half-Elves

Stepping through a pine door, you’re immediately refreshed by the bright sunshine streaming through the windows and the potted plants placed in the corners of the room. The whole place smells of the forest, like walking through a Christmas tree lot. The fir wood table in the middle of the room is adorned with a white lace tablecloth and topped with a pair of gold candle holders, each with a simple white candle inside it.

A bow rests against one of the five fir wood chairs, strung, but without its quiver. There are no other weapons in sight.

There’s a window on each wall, and each has white lace curtains tied back to let in the most sunlight possible. Out each window you can see vibrant green grass, trees, woodland animals, and bright birds that can be heard singing all the time.

The Wisdom Keepers

This room is most likely the fanciest in the house. White marble floors, elegant white paneled walls, and gold candelabras gracing the walls. A long table sits in the very center of the room, covered in a white silk tablecloth and decorated with silver candle holders every few seats, the white candles inside already lit.

The table is set with china plates, golden goblets, and pure silverware. A feast is set along the center of the table, containing any food you can think of. Turkey, pheasant, pies, cakes, potatoes, carrots, apples, just to name very few.

The right wall is open to a balcony, allowing the room to flood with light, also aided by three golden chandeliers hanging over the table. On the other three walls, elegantly woven tapestries hang, lending their rich, vibrant colors to the otherwise neutrally colored room.

There are so many books I love to read, but Dreamtreaders is the one that I always list as my favorite. Whether it really is my absolute favorite or not is impossible to tell.

Dreamtreaders

When you walk in, you’re first bombarded by the mess. Books, blankets, papers, and all sorts of things are strewn everywhere. But you can make out the desk against the left wall, the bed against the right, and you can see the sliding glass door in the back wall that leads out onto a tiny balcony. The walls of the room are black, decorated with swirls of dark color. Behind the bed is painted a navy blue clock tower with a dark gold face, and against the desk is propped a midnight blue surfboard.

The bed is dark walnut wood, with blankets of an almost black green, and a well is carved into the footboard. The desk is the same wood, with a ragged old doll sitting on the far corner.

The air in the room smells musty, and the light filtering in through the door is dim and almost green-tinted. A storm is coming.

Nominees

Most of these will probably be repeats since I have no idea who to nominate. No one is required to do the challenge.